Teenagers 'sorry beyond words' for double murder

Mason Rist (left) and Max Dixon (right) were killed in a case of mistaken identity

Three of the teenagers who murdered two innocent boys in a case of mistaken identity during a revenge attack have apologised for their crimes, a court has heard.

Max Dixon, 16, and Mason Rist, 15, were stabbed to death by a gang of teenagers armed with machetes in Knowle West, Bristol, on 27 January.

Antony Snook, 45, Riley Tolliver, 18, and three boys aged 17, 16 and 15 were all found guilty of their murders last month.

Snook was sentenced to life in prison on 19 November, while the others returned to court on Monday for the start of a two-day sentencing hearing.

The court heard the convicted teenagers had all expressed remorse for their actions since being taken into custody.

Max and Mason were killed after being wrongly identified as being responsible for bricks being thrown at a house in Hartcliffe earlier the same evening.

During the trial it was revealed the four teenagers had happened upon the pair of best friends while being driven around Knowle West by Snook looking for "revenge" following the attack on the house.

'Deeply sorry'

Ignatius Hughes KC, representing Tolliver, told trial judge Mrs Justice May his client had only started to learn to read and write since being remanded into custody.

He read a short letter written by his client, which said: "To judge and families, I just started to learn to read and write. I would like to say how deeply sorry I am.

"I should have never got into that car. I am sorry for the pain and sorrow, and I will carry this for the rest of my life."

Kate Brunner KC, representing the 15-year-old defendant, told the court: "He is sorry beyond words for what he has done."

She said he had suffered "appalling neglect" as a child, adding: "There is a shocking fact that empathy seems to be a new concept to him."

The court heard how psychiatrists had found the teenager had a mental age of eight-and-a-half, and lacked the skills to make rational choices or understand the consequences of his actions.

"Rather than being socialised in a normal way, he was indoctrinated into a horrifying reality where children were regularly armed with ferocious weapons and violence was normalised," she said.

'Bleak and desolate'

Christopher Quinlan KC, representing the 17-year-old, described his client's upbringing as "bleak and desolate" and said he had suffered from "malign influences".

"Where were the adults in his life?" he said. "The one thing he lacked was structure, care and love."

He said the teenager "thinks about the harm he's caused the families every day".

The hearing continues.